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Critical Reception

Whitney Pastorek of Entertainment Weekly reviewed: "Much like the TV show itself, there is so much about this soundtrack that shouldn't work. Sickly-sweet vocals. Theme-park-level arrangements. Cheesy song choices (True Colors, Lean on Me) that get even cheesier without the onscreen enthusiasm of the cast as a distraction. And yet it does work, like a car wash run by cheerleaders. When the Glee kids nail something — like a version of Van Halen's Jump that made my cheeks sore from smiling — the title of this joyful franchise could not be more apt.

Allmusic's Andrew Leahey commented that the soundtrack felt "a bit rushed" due to its release four weeks after Volume 1 and the fact it features songs from half as many episodes as the first album. He commented, however: "Returning fans will still find a lot to enjoy here," praising the increased inclusion of vocals from Ushkowitz, Riley, and McHale. Leahey observed that "Nevertheless, Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison continue to steal the show," calling Morrison's mash-up of Don't Stand So Close to Me and Young Girl "one of the album's most inventive songs." He opined: "As before, this album sometimes strays away from choral arrangements and sounds more like a collection of karaoke recordings, and the use of Auto-Tune (most noticeably during Lily Allen's Smile, where Cory Monteith sounds like an R&B robot) proves that nothing -- not even songs ostensibly performed in a classroom by high-school students -- is holy in today's music biz."

Christopher John Farley of The Wall Street Journal commented that Michele, Riley and McHale have "the most distinctive voices" of all the Glee cast members, suggesting that Michele's rendition of Don't Rain on My Parade: "will have some listeners hoping she’ll be sharing her talents with Broadway again soon."

IGN's Brian Linder recommended the album to Glee fans only, opining that "only two or three tracks will be of interest to the non-hardcore fan. Unlike the first installment in the show's soundtrack series, Glee - The Music, Vol. 2 isn't going to win over any skeptics." He called Riley a "vocal powerhouse" on Proud Mary, but felt that the Glee cast version of the track would only appeal to fans of the show. Linder deemed Endless Love "lovely" and Don't Stand So Close to Me/Young Girl "a creative mash-up," but noted: "these songs aren't nearly as strong when presented outside of the program." Linder felt that Michele's "massive talent" was "wasted" on Crush, calling it "a prime example of how lyrical content has been driving song selection on the series of late. Not a great trend." Linder wrote that: "Lean on Me is a terrific group number, but it perfectly illustrates the problem with this second collection of songs from show. It's performed well. But it's not nearly as fresh or catchy as the stuff we heard in the first part of the season." He opined that Riley's performance of And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going was "on par with Jennifer Hudson's," and deemed Michele's cover of My Life Would Suck Without You the best track on the album.